Kerala puts Rs 10 sanitary pad machines, incinerators at 14 KSRTC bus terminals

Kerala's Women and Child Development Department has started putting sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators at state bus terminals, so that women and girls on the move can buy a pad and dispose of a used one without hunting for a shop or a bin. The scheme, called WOMN (Women on the Move and Menstrual Needs), was inaugurated on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, by Minister Bindu Krishna at the Thampanoor KSRTC terminal in Thiruvananthapuram. The first phase is a pilot at 14 terminals and depots of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), and is being run with the public sector firm HLL Lifecare as partner. It forms part of the state government's 100-day action programme.

For many women, a period that starts unexpectedly during a long bus journey or a working day away from home is a familiar source of stress. The usual fixes, such as asking a stranger, finding a pharmacy near the bus stand, or improvising with tissue, cost time and dignity. Disposal is often the harder problem: in many public toilets there is no covered bin, and used pads end up wrapped in paper and carried around or flushed, which blocks drains. A machine and an incinerator placed side by side near the washroom addresses both halves of the problem at the point where women actually need help.

The choice of bus terminals is practical. Public buses carry large numbers of women students, nurses, shop workers, domestic workers and office staff, many of whom travel daily between towns. For these commuters, a Rs 10 pack that is always in the same place is a small but real piece of work-life infrastructure, in the same family as clean toilets, lighting and safe waiting rooms.

The scheme also fits a wider national conversation about how workplaces and public systems should handle menstruation. Much of that debate has centred on menstrual leave at work. Kerala's scheme takes a different route: it targets everyday access and hygiene in public spaces. Kerala has tried pad vending machines before, including an HLL project for schools announced in 2016, so the test this time will be whether the machines stay stocked and working.

Short-term: Women using the 14 pilot terminals, starting with Thampanoor in Thiruvananthapuram, can buy low-cost pads and dispose of used ones on site. The early weeks will show whether refilling and incinerator upkeep by KSRTC staff works in practice.

Long-term: If the pilot holds up, the model could spread to tourist destinations and other busy public places in Kerala, and offer a template for other states and transport agencies. Steady use could also reduce the number of pads thrown into drains and open bins at bus stations.

Who is affected: Women and girls who travel by KSRTC buses, especially daily commuters, students and working women; KSRTC cleaning staff who will maintain the machines; and HLL Lifecare as supplier and partner.

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